Remember your experience when you went on your walk? Do you want to relive that experience? You only have one walk as a pilgrim, but you can spend a lifetime as a servant of Christ. Opening the eyes and hearts of others by showing His love. Here is how to get involved.
I just came off a walk, and I am ready to go back in the conference room
That’s great! The community is grateful to have members with servant hearts. However, jumping right back in as an inside team member rarely happens. It is best to develop a servant heart through service. Remember that someone was there to take your bags to your room. If you didn’t make your bed in the morning that it somehow was neatly made when you returned, and of course the agape on your pillow each time you returned to your room. How about the food that just appeared at break times, and not to mention the meals.
An angel for a day
These and other tasks were quite likely carried out by Day Angels. A Day Angel is a member of our Emmaus community that has devoted themselves to serving behind the scenes at a Walk to Emmaus or Chrysalis weekend. Day Angels typically serve only for the day, and in some cases may serve for more than one day at a time. Day Angels pay a fee for the days meals, and an additional fee if overnight lodging is required. Contact the appropriate Day Angel chairperson listed below for more information about being a Day Angel. You may not serve as a Day Angel on a Chrysalis unless you have an approved background check and have completed training in Reporting Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation. Please check with the ArchAngel or Lay Director before going to camp to determine the need for Day Angels on the Walk.
Serving on the outside
As an outside team member you will be present for the entire weekend. Although you are not involved with the activities inside the conference room, you are directly impacting the pilgrim’s Walk to Emmaus experience. The pilgrim notices that everything just appears. The coffee is made, the conference room is tidy, the meals are hot, the drinks are cold. However they rarely ever get to see who does all of this preparation. As far as they know everyone involved in the weekend is inside the conference room with them.
Another Walk on the inside
Ask anyone that has ever served on an inside team and they will say that it is almost like being on a walk again for the first time, only better. Why? While they know what is going on, they get to experience the same love of Christ at the same time as the pilgrims. They get to see the changes, the opened eyes, the fire beginning to burn in the pilgrims hearts.
Initially you will serve as an Assistant Table Leader (ATL). On subsequent walks you may serve as an ATL again, or you may be called to serve as a Table Leader (TL). Once you have been a TL you are eligible to work as an Assistant Lay Director (ALD). You could work any of these positions more than once, and finally when God calls, a Lay Director (LD). As a rule, you can serve as a LD only once, and it is a very rewarding experience as you pray over each and every team member and pilgrim for months leading up to your walk as a LD, and then see the results of your prayers as the love of Christ transforms the pilgrims and prepares them for their 4th days. In the event of need a former Lay Director will be asked to serve once more when all other candidates have been exhausted.
All inside team members pay the same fee as pilgrims when working a walk.
De Colores